Photo by Matt McGee via Flickr

It's certainly not new news, but still worth a mention: Conserve water, people!

This time the urging comes from the folks who work in water at the state level, and who hope to avert a "water crisis," reports abc7.com. We've endured some mighty high temperatures in the past week or so, and with the scorching some may be tempted to soak their lawns and gardens, which happens to be one of the top water wasters in the state. Incidentally, if you need some savvy on how to handle your garden's watering needs, bewaterwise.com has lots of suggestions.

Individuals can do all sorts of things to curb usage and reap the rewards with lower bills--a nice treat in the wake of the announcement of impending rate hikes. But you can also be a water waster narc, and tip off the DWP through their Drought Busters program via phone or email. Nothing makes conservation fun like a little bit of tattle-telling. And turning off that faucet when you don't really need it on.